mercredi 21 mars 2012

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION & THE MESSAGE OF LA SALETTE [2]

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION THROUGH THE LENS OF LA SALETTE [2](Reflection by Isabel Dion)

3. At La Salette:
Above, we said that our Lady mentioned “My Son”, six times in her message to
the children. She also wore a crucifix with the instruments of the crucifixion
on her breast. These indicate to us that
her message is centered on Christ, her Son. She came to speak in the name of
her SON. She came to call her people to
live God’s original plan. What is this original plan? The Catechism of the Catholic Church (374)
tells us that “humans were created good; had a perfect relationship with God;
with themselves; and with all creation.” Incidentally, the La Salette Mountain
where Our Mother chose to appear is symbolic of the perfection of
creation. It is so majestic, so
beautiful, so pristine, and so serene.
It tells us of the mountain where her SON often went to pray and commune
with His Father. On this mountain she calls us to return to God’s plan for the
first humans who possessed a state of “original justice and holiness...” (CCC,
375)

4. Church and Scripture: That was unfortunately disrupted because they
disobeyed God’s covenant with them. That disobedience is what we call Original
Sin, which we all inherited. Despite that disobedience, God did not abandon us.
In fact in the book of Genesis 3:15 God said: I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they
will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.” This passage in
Genesis is called the Protoevangelium ("first gospel"): Christian
tradition views this as the first announcement of the Messiah and
Redeemer. It is a battle between the serpent and the Woman whose
descendants will win the final victory.

God sent His Son Jesus in the
form of a human being to show us His great Love manifested in His passion,
death and resurrection that we celebrate in baptism and which redeems us from
original sin.

5. At La Salette: Our Lady’s call to honor and respect Lent is
so appropriate because this is a time to enter into our inner selves and find
out what we need to change and renew. Our Lady will help us to discover those
things as we continue to reflect on her message of conversion and
reconciliation and its relationship to the sacrament of Reconciliation.

6. Right here and Now: It is important to note that although we have
been redeemed from original sin through Christ’s passion, death and
resurrection, it is still a fact that we suffer through its consequences. These
consequences result in a weakened human nature manifested in its ever present inclination
to evil (or concupiscence). This is the attraction
to the sin that we commit day in and day out.

7. More Catechism: So what is sin? Sin is the breaking of the relationship
with oneself, with others and with God. Our Lady’s call to honor and respect
Lent is so appropriate because this is a time to enter into our inner selves
and find out what we need to change and renew.

8. At LaSalette, Our
Lady calls us to restore a relationship that is broken by sin. What are the
sins that make her Son’s arm so heavy? She mentions two:

1) “I gave you six days to
work, I have kept the seventh for myself.”
She quotes Genesis 2:2 “On the seventh day God rested from all his
work.”

2) “Those who drive the carts
cannot swear without using the name of my Son.”
You shall not take the name of the
Lord your God in vain. (Ex.20:7)